The daily Lapin Kansa shows understanding for the hype around Michael Jackson's death: "The news of his death sped around the world, and people were quick to commemorate the talented artist wherever they were. Just a few minutes after the message reached [the northern Finnish city] Rovaniemi, Jackson's music was playing in the city's nichtclubs. People are saying Michael Jackson's sudden death has shocked the entertainment world as much as the death of Beatle John Lennon in 1980. ... Jackson was famous not only for his music, but also for his colourful life, full of dramas and tragedies. Everyone was talking about his plastic surgery, the accusations of paedophilia and his financial worries. .. Jackson was a major star, and the sorrow all over the world is understandable. Not surprisingly, however, many are questioning whether his death is so important that the world must halt in its tracks. But collective mourning is a phenomenon of our times, and there's no harm in it." (29/06/2009)

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In the daily Trouw columnist Rob Schouten explores why the whole world is mourning the death of Michael Jackson, pointing out that after all he was not a musical genius of the calibre of Johann Sebastian Bach, for example: "Perhaps the fame and grief that Michael Jackson is now provoking are justified. He certainly had the right ingredients for being a darling of the public. In the beginning he was handsome and famous, then he become a tragic figure and a failure. What appeals to us about icons is their rise but then above all their fall. Elvis, Princess Diana. You can take delight in their lives and then see how miserably it all ended despite everything. The memento mori of our times. The inconceivable virus that apparently goes hand in hand with global appeal. … I believe that part of the mass mourning is also a sense of relief that we ourselves don't have to be that way. That in the end fame and fortune don't really count, but that we nonetheless must now return to our search for a new king who can teach us this." (29/06/2009)

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In the daily I Kathimerini Maria Katsounaki writes on Michael Jackson the man: "It's very easy to talk about a great but deeply disturbed talent. But it's also true in part. However if we look back at the history of the star cult and the music industry, it's very difficult to find an idol without 'oddities'. Jackson personified showbiz in it's most extreme form. He reflected the absolute problem of experiencing the adventure of showbiz without losing himself in the process. In his delusion he attacked his face, his external appearance. Too weak to master the turbulence within him, he made changing his appearance part of an ongoing pop spectacle. A believer in supernatural gifts, he retreated into Neverland. And he lost, because he wasn't Peter Pan. He simply didn't want to grow up." (28/06/2009)

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All available articles from » Maria Katsounaki

Commenting on the unexpected death of Michael Jackson the Spanish daily La Vanguardia writes: "A true genius is someone who shapes an era. He who through his work establishes a before and after in artistic endeavour. Following Michael Jackson's meteoric rise in the 1970s and 1980s nothing was ever the same again in pop music. … While someone is still living it is difficult for us to extricate one's attention from their personal misfortunes and recognise the genius in its full transcendence. Now what remains is the legend. The music and the spectacle which thanks to him made one of those huge leaps forward that are so rare in the course of history." (27/06/2009)

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The UK reacted harshly to the arrest of British embassy officials in Iran. Before those arrested were released on Monday, the daily The Times wrote: "Britain should then warn Iran that the continued detention of its embassy employees or any further official harassment will be met with reciprocal restrictions on Iranian missions, not just in Britain but, if all 27 EU partners agree, across Europe. A carefully calibrated series of other measures should also be prepared, ranging from further restrictions on trade, including aviation, to the downgrading of diplomatic ties. Iran has already threatened this last step; it is not one that should cause Britain any sleeplessness. If Tehran wishes to pick a quarrel, Britain does not need to stick around to be abused and insulted." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » United Kingdom, » Iran

The Czech EU presidency ends on Tuesday. The left-liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau takes stock of the last six months: "The Czechs may not have made a brilliant job of their EU Council presidency, but it was not a complete failure either. And after six months at the helm of the EU the country is more pro-European than before and Euroscepticism is clearly diminishing. … Although no one would have believed it, there were highlights during the presidency. For instance the mediation in the gas dispute between Ukraine and Russia was a success for the Czechs. And at the EU's Eastern enlargement Conference where the accession of the Balkan states and also Ukraine were discussed the Prague government was a respected mediator between East and West. … The presidency has promoted the pro-European stance of the Czechs, it was only the image of the country's politicians that suffered." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Czech Republic, » Europe
All available articles from » Kilian Kirchgessner

The planned withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is now entering a critical phase because extremists want to fill the political vacuum, the daily Die Presse writes: "There can still be no talk of a normalisation in Iraq - despite all the progress; of the two million refugees less than 100,000 have returned according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The 'victory' of which George W. Bush talked on 20 March 2003 in his speech to the American people is still far off. And in view of the political multi-tasking, the crises in Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan - not to mention the economic crisis and healthcare reform - it will be difficult for [US President Barack] Obama to remain focussed. However if he manages to bring Bush's war to a conclusion without creating further chaos he will have kept his promise." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » U.S., » Iraq
All available articles from » Thomas Seifert

The US House of Representatives has passed by a slim majority a climate protection law considered to be of historical importance. It sets binding limits on emissions of carbon dioxide for the first time in the US. The daily Berlingske Tidende doubts that this can ensure the success of December's climate summit in Copenhagen: "It will be a harsh autumn for [Danish] Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard and Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller [both conservatives]. They should use diplomatic efforts to ensure that Copenhagen will not mean a defeat for the environment. ... For US President Barack Obama the situation is critical because he risks going to Copenhagen in full knowledge that he will never be able to push through his ambitious climate plan. Obama has done much to reach an agreement, but if the Chinese are not also ready to considerably reduce their CO2 emissions, Obama won't be able to push a larger reduction through Congress." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Denmark, » U.S., » Global

The writer Roberto Saviano, author of the Mafia novel Gomorrah, describes in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica the role of women in the Mafia: "In the land of crime being a woman is highly complicated. … It means maintaining a precarious balance between modernity and tradition, moral constrictions and total unscrupulousness in the conduct of business. Women can order murders to be carried out but they cannot take the liberty of having a lover or leaving their husband. They can decide to invest great sums in entire market sectors but they are not allowed to wear makeup when their husband is in prison. … To wear makeup while one's husband is doing time would translate into doing it for someone else. … Women exist only in relation to their men. Without them they are lifeless beings. … Men, on the other hand, are generally allowed to have lovers. Nonetheless, in recent years the women have managed to establish the rule that the lovers should only be foreigners: Russians, Poles, Romanians, Moldovans - second-class women who in the eyes of the wives are not fit to start a family or bring up children properly." (28/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crime and Law, » Gender equality, » Italy
All available articles from » Roberto Saviano

Roland Balogh writes in the conservative anti-government daily Magyar Nemzet that the commemoration of the political change of 1989 can by no means be a joyful celebration. "The disappointments of the past two decades are manifest in the commemorations. The nation whose people wanted to take home a piece of the barbed wire in 1989 is not even capable of celebrating the occasion with fervour today. This is admittedly all too understandable when we consider that the most important Hungarian celebrations have been officially celebrated in the past years by those who would happily have nipped the 1989 upheaval in the bud. How can a country where the heirs of the former communist party - the Socialist Party (MSZP) - call the shots joyfully celebrate this anniversary? … In this context we shouldn't be surprised that the international media are paying little attention to the anniversary in Hungary. … In the past seven years, or in other words since the Socialists took power, all that the fall of the Iron Curtain [once] represented has been stolen from us." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Remembrance culture, » Hungary
All available articles from » Roland Balogh

The Latvian state airliner airBaltic is offering a growing number of flights from Tallinn to the same destinations as Estonian Air. The daily Postimees looks on with mixed feelings. "Of course it warms the heart of a traveller when cheaper airline tickets become available. For that reason it's also no wonder that airBaltic can announce new records while Estonian Air is losing its market share. Competition is competition, and the market will have its way. Those who don't manage to adjust their prices downwards in time shouldn't be amazed when they're forced to the sidelines. But as is often the case there is also another side of the coin, and this is just as important. For after the events in [Lithuanian capital] Vilnius, we must ask whether airBaltic is always on the up and up. Let's not forget, [the carrier] ended up forcing flyLAL into bankruptcy, with the result that Vilnius is the European capital with the worst air connections." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Corporations, » Lithuania, » Latvia, » Estonia

Starting July 1, France will sink value added tax for its ailing gastronomy sector from 19.6 to 5.5 percent. In its leading article the regional paper L'Est Républicain comments: "Will the restaurant owners pass on the tax cut? In general people in the trade say yes. It's got to be said, the government is putting on a fancy spread to invigorate a culinary brigade which is of the greatest importance for tourism in France and for the job market. In exchange for a measure that will cost the state three billion euros, restaurant owners are ready to invest in the future. ... They have promised to grease the palms of their staff: dish washers, head waiters, wine stewards will all benefit. ... In turn the bosses have promised to create 40,000 jobs within two years." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Tax Policy, » France
All available articles from » Jean-Louis Antoine

The Slovakian town of Levoča with its medieval town centre has been added to Unesco's World Heritage List. The liberal daily Sme says it deserves this honour but criticises the way the country treats its cultural heritage in general: "In the neighbouring Czech Republic there is a man like Václav Havel who has the courage to say that the protection of Czech landscapes must be a top strategic priority, even more important than Nato membership. Who would say such a thing here in Slovakia? Instead we are witnessing how our landscapes are being systematically taken apart. … Thanks to the lack of culture of our political representatives our admirable cultural landscape is becoming a landscape of unculturedness. … As a result our natural, cultural and historical values are more threatened than in the times of the two world wars and more than they ever have been since the industrialisation and collectivisation of the 1950s. Our landscapes are being turned into building sites, cement tracks, logistical centres, billboards and waste disposal sites." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » Cultural Policy, » Czech Republic, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Mikuláš Huba

To mark Christopher Street Day hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians gathered all over Europe to demonstrate for more rights on Saturday. The news blog Rue89 comments on the growing visibility of lesbians: "In recent years there have been more lesbian characters who are not caricatures in films . … Today your average lesbian is no longer the resident lorry driver. Sometimes sexy, sometimes tomboy, shy or provocative, she has diversified. … Political Marxism and lesbianism shaped the spirit of the 1970s and 1980s. The movements defined themselves by protest as marginalised groups. This protest has grown weaker since the 1990s. In the 21st century the movements have become more pragmatic. And also more seductive. … Today's generation … uses the weapons of marketing and communication to make lesbian culture 'appetising' and accessible." (27/06/2009)

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All available articles from » Marjorie Marcillac

Poland is currently debating a new law for the state radio and television broadcasters. Agnieszka Romaszewska writes in the daily Polska that just having control over these media doesn't automatically mean having a political advantage. "Like the majority of discussions that have taken place in the past years about the public media, the most recent one on the legal framework [for the state television] ... is extremely dominated by party perspectives. One reason: the image of the media as an instrument of politics has long dominated this institution's understanding of itself. And for those who've taken part in the fight over the media, as well as for the commentators, it was clear that at issue here was which politicians are shown on the information programmes of [state broadcaster] TVP. ... I grant you, complete control over the public media will perhaps offer these politicians several forums, but it won't give them a decisive advantage in the electoral arena." (29/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Media policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Agnieszka Romaszewska